BUTTER MY BAGEL– Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff does the ribbon cutting on Sept. 12 to officially open Park Avenue Bagels, Park Avenue and 71st Street in Guttenberg. The business is owned and operated by Jonathan Rosado, his mother Wanda Rivera, and Laura Gonzalez.

The grand opening of the North Bergen Public Library Learning Center & Kennedy Branch, 2123 Kennedy Blvd., will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.

North Bergen to receive $3.7 Million in funding from Schools Development Authority

The state Department of Education’s Schools Development Authority (SDA) has announced that the North Bergen School District received five grants through the SDA’s Regular Operating Districtgrant program.

The state grants contribute $3,704,036.93 to the cost of the projects, which represent $6,455,701 in total estimated costs. The local contribution is $2,751,664.07.

“These grants will go a long way toward providing safer learning environments for all of the students in North Bergen, both now and well into the future,” said SDA Chief Operating Officer Marc Larkins.

North Bergen High School received three grants. They will provide funds for 1) a one-story addition adjacent to the existing Administration, Nurse/Health, Guidance and student use areas and an alteration of approximately 5,000 square feet of existing space; 2) a repair and restoration of the brick façade, including installation of control and expansion joints and a limited roof repair; and 3) electrical upgrades. The two remaining grants will provide funds for window replacements at Franklin and Lincoln elementary schools.

“The North Bergen School District strives to achieve excellence in education,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. George Solter Jr. “We are appreciative to have these grants, which will give the North Bergen School District the opportunity to improve our facilities.”

The state grant program funds at least 40 percent of eligible costs for projects in the RODs, addressing health and safety issues, student overcrowding, and critical needs. Since the program’s inception, the North Bergen School District has received more than $10.6 million in grants through the ROD program.

The North Bergen-headquartered W.R. Grace & Company, a premier specialty chemicals and materials corporation, has given a $10,000 grant through its foundation to the Music & Audio Technology Program at High Tech High School’s Performing Arts Academy.

HCST Foundation Advisory Council member Chris Troyano, Grace plant manager, received an official approval of the Music & Audio Technology Program’s grant request for musical equipment. The grant money will cover the costs of upright and electric bass guitars, keyboards, brass and woodwinds, such as the trumpet, flute, and clarinet.

“Our Performing Arts Academy has grown tremendously over the course of the last few years,” said Scott Killian, founder of the Performing Arts Program at High Tech. “In order to support our growing community and talent, we need instruments to support our specialized students, programs, and productions.”

Created in 1997 as an alternative music program concentrated on careers in sound design, audio engineering, and composition and arranging, High Tech’s M & A Program focuses on college-level curriculum and prepares students for rigorous post-secondary training. Students graduate with the skills needed to pursue a professional career in music, including sight singing, keyboard proficiency, and an extensive knowledge of music history.

“Many students request music courses in performance technique in brass, woodwinds, and strings, as well as in piano and vocal technique,” said Rod Shepard, musical director and conductor for the Musical Theatre Program at High Tech. “Funding allows us to provide instruments to students who cannot afford their own and helps seed further growth of the program.”

Registration under way for library fall programs

The North Bergen Library has announced that registration is currently under way for the library's fall programs, which begin Monday, Sept. 23.

Registration is open to North Bergen and Guttenberg residents, and must be done in person at the library, 8411 Bergenline Ave. Proof of age and residency are required.

For more information, call (201) 869-4715 or visit www.nbpl.org to view the program listings.

Palisades Medical Center is holding Guttenberg screening

Palisades Medical Center will hold a health screening in Guttenberg on Sunday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 6823 Jackson St.

The deadline is almost here for entries to Union City’s Sixth Annual NoHu International Short Film Festival, Oct. 15 to 19. The deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 (no exceptions).

Submissions are being accepted in all categories (no pornography), including foreign language films. Entries should be no longer than 15 minutes and should be submitted in DVD format. The contact name, email, and genre should be written on the DVD cover. Since this is a juried festival, entrants should include if this is a "World Premiere," "USA Premiere," "New Jersey Premiere," or "Union City Premiere."

Along with the film and contact information, a cover letter, synopsis, film credits, and awards, if any, should be submitted to: Commissioner Lucio P. Fernandez, Department of Public Affairs, 3715 Palisade Ave., Union City, NJ 07087, Attn: Film Entry. There is no fee, and no application form is required.

Include in the cover letter that the entry is being submitted by the property owner or licensee, and is giving Union City the right to publicly screen the film as part of the NoHu International Film Festival. Finalists will be notified via e-mail. DVDs will not be returned.

This year's five-day festival will include two days of screening feature films, two evenings of screening the finalists of the short film category, and a red carpet awards ceremony on the final day.

The red carpet presentation will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the William Musto Cultural Center, 420 15th Street in Union City. Admission is free.

‘Muskrat Ramble’ offered by NJMC in Lyndhurst

A ramble through the Meadowlands to see and learn about muskrats will be offered by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) on Sunday, Sept. 22, from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Don Smith, retired chief naturalist with the NJMC, will lead the way. Born and raised in Little Ferry, Smith is an expert on the Hackensack River and its marshes.

“Come hear Don talk about life growing up in the Meadowlands in the late 1950s, including his childhood adventures trapping muskrats in the marshes,” said Brian Aberback, commission spokesman.

The program, for all ages, is held at the Meadowlands Environment Center (MEC), 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst. The tour price is $5 per person for the public and $4 for MEC members.

For more information, call (201) 460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.